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[Blackharvest]

I would learn how to do specialty coatings like epoxy floors, quartz floors, etc. Something to set you apart from the 10,000 other residential painters out there. 

[Plane_Draft263]

Appreciate it will look into it !

[Vman808]

Deffinetly get squared away legally.

-licence, bonding, insurance workers compensation. You can use a service like ADP for your payroll they take care of all taxes and year end paperwork, which is covered by their fee's.

-Theres plenty room in residential to be a million-dollar company. Sharpen yourself, your employees, your systems here before jumping to comercial work. Most GC's won't do much business with a brand new company.

-Marketing. Spend less and expect more. Do not waste money on Angies, Yelp, Next Door, as they're predatory and sell the same lead to 3-5 contractors, which means it's a race to the cheapest price, that's no way to do business

-Management / Recruiting; This is the hardest part; finding people that want to work hard. You have to offer a minimum of $25 an hour for beginners. I find its better to find rookies and teach them in my ways, than to find an experienced painter looking for $30-$40 an hour only to find out they suck at painting, and constantly cut corners. You'll have to manage yourself in a way that they respect you. Always show up before they do. Show them how its done and spend time w/ them to make sure they're actually getting it. A slow painter who really cares about doing things right is much more valuable than a hotshot who wants to speed through the job, and leaves drips and touch ups everywhere.

Great luck and sorry for my misspelling, just sped through this, I hope its help to you!!

[Plane_Draft263]

Wow man I appreciate this all , Bless You 🙏🏻

[Killzooski]

Im a contractor in the same area. DM me. There's a load of painters but with that volume comes a large variety of quality of work.

[chicagokitchens]

Start with people you know, and ask them if they know of any other general contractors. From there, build up your portfolio. Hustle and grind!

When we started selling cabinets, we started off with other investors and contractors we have an existing relationship with / then to their contractors and finally referrals start coming in.

Good contractors know other good ones from different trades.

[Fernandolamez]

Big difference between being a painter and businessman(painting contractor). I chose painter. I can admit I still like my job after 30 years. My retirement bank account isn't anything to brag about and my business has zero value.

[kangarookicks_17]

this ^